"...You two really came in and made quite the impression right from the start."
In the living room of the mansion, Bazett looked at Reines and Zuke with a somewhat exasperated expression. Behind her stood Cu Chulainn, who had already recovered from his injuries.
As a mage, basic healing magecraft was naturally within her capabilities—when a Servant was injured, a simple healing spell could quickly restore them to their original state.
Just like in the original story, Bazett had short wine-red hair and wore a suit. Though her features were striking, she didn't give off a delicate or feminine impression. The most fitting description for her would be "heroic," which was why she was jokingly referred to as "a handsome guy with breasts."
"It was your Servant who came looking for a fight, not my Zuke's fault."
Reines sat on the sofa opposite them, wearing a smug expression—this was a feeling she hadn't experienced in a long time.
Ever since the decline of the El-Melloi family, every move she made had been like walking on thin ice. A single misstep could plunge her into an abyss from which there was no return.
From a very young age, she had to deal with assassination attempts from both within her family and outsiders, forcing her to tread carefully in every situation.
But today, Zuke had given her a taste of triumphant confidence—with him by her side, even a surprise attack from a Servant could be effortlessly swatted away. The conflicted look on Bazett's face today wasn't due to the prestige of the El-Melloi name, but rather because of Zuke's overwhelming strength.
"Your Zuke? That guy's only been summoned for a few days, hasn't he?"
Cu Chulainn, standing behind Bazett, couldn't help but mutter—as a Servant, he was well aware that both he and Zuke would disappear once the Holy Grail War ended.
But as soon as the words left his mouth, Zuke calmly glanced at him, and Cu Chulainn immediately fell silent.
Truthfully, Cu Chulainn wasn't wrong. Under normal circumstances, after completing this world's main quest, Zuke wouldn't be able to re-enter this mission world.
In fact, Fate/Stay Night was already the storyline of the final Holy Grail War in Fuyuki City—there was a high chance he wouldn't be able to return to this city through the system again.
[Current World: Fate/Stay Night]
[Main Quest: Obtain the Holy Grail of the Fifth Holy Grail War]
[Player "Zuke's" Power Synchronization: 0%]
[Please strive to progress the main quest to unlock power synchronization.]
The main quest of this world was also to obtain the Holy Grail—meaning that once the Holy Grail War ended, the quest would conclude, and Zuke would have to leave.
But... this time, Zuke had already figured out the function of "Ionoi Hetairoi", so he could simply choose a faction in this world and integrate them into his "King's Army."
That way, Zuke could freely return to this world without worrying about losing all connection to it.
Cu Chulainn would indeed have to leave permanently after the Holy Grail War ended, but Zuke didn't have to worry about that.
"Your Servant really has no tact."
Though Zuke knew he could return to this world in the future, Reines didn't.
The sense of security she had just felt from having Zuke by her side was shattered by Cu Chulainn's words, causing her gaze to turn dangerous as she stared at him. She was already considering whether she should have Zuke eliminate Cu Chulainn as soon as the Holy Grail War officially began.
Bazett gave an awkward laugh and shot Cu Chulainn a helpless glare, signaling him to stop provoking Reines and Zuke with his remarks.
She had already been considering whether to form an alliance with someone else—after all, Zuke had sent Cu Chulainn flying with a single slap, making it clear that he wasn't a Servant Cu Chulainn could handle alone.
Now, Cu Chulainn had gone and offended Reines and Zuke—if this kept up, they might be instantly eliminated before the war even properly started.
"Lancer really isn't good with words."
Bazett cleared her throat, awkwardly trying to shift the topic and diffuse the tension caused by Cu Chulainn's comment.
"Speaking of which, wasn't Matou Sakura also supposed to participate in the Holy Grail War? Did she not come with you?"
While the Mage's Association officially only had two slots for the Holy Grail War, in reality, anyone who wanted to participate secretly could ignore the Association's restrictions.
Matou Sakura was one such person—she hadn't taken a slot from the Mage's Association but instead planned to participate under the name of "Matou," one of the Three Founding Families.
Though Sakura hadn't undergone the Matou family's worm-based magecraft modifications or inherited their Magic Circuits, she had indeed been adopted from the Tohsaka family into the Matou household, so she was fully entitled to use the name.
However, when Bazett mentioned Sakura, Reines' expression instantly became somewhat complicated.
"Ah... she didn't come with me."
Reines' gaze drifted away, and her voice grew quieter, as if she'd been caught doing something wrong.
In truth, Reines and Sakura actually got along quite well—the reason was simple: Sakura had been brought to the Mage's Association by Zuke.
Through Waver's accounts, Reines had always been deeply interested in Zuke's immense power, so when she learned that Sakura had a connection to him, she took the initiative to approach her.
Sakura didn't have many acquaintances in the Mage's Association, and Reines, due to her family circumstances, didn't have many friends either—so the two quickly became close.
Later, Reines also learned more about Zuke from Sakura.
Though Sakura hadn't spent much time with Zuke, she could still share many small details about him, helping Reines form a clearer impression of him.
Reines' desire to summon Zuke had also been influenced significantly by Sakura.
But precisely because of this, Reines knew very well that Sakura's sole purpose for participating in the Holy Grail War was to see Zuke again—she had no other wish.
And now, Reines had summoned Zuke first... in a way, she had essentially stolen him away.
She didn't even dare imagine what kind of expression Sakura would make upon seeing that Zuke had already been summoned by someone else.
"But... Sakura just wants to see Zuke. It shouldn't matter to her who summoned him... right?"
For now, Reines could only comfort herself with this weak justification.
To be continued…
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